Bottom-wrap apparatus

ABSTRACT

A bottom sheet is applied to the bottom of a stack of signatures before the signatures are tied into a bundle. The sheet is cut to length from a roll and the precut sheet is presented at an upper conveyor surface over which the bundles are conveyed. As the bundle passes over the partly presented, precut bottom wrap sheet, it picks up the sheet and withdraws the sheet from its paper guide chute. The bundle and its bottom wrap are then conveyed to a suitable tying or baling mechanism. A switching mechanism is activated by the bundle before it reaches the paper guide chute area to cause the cutting of a new length of bottom wrap and the presentation of the new length of bottom wrap above the surface of the conveyor table to await the presence the bundle. The cutting mechanism consists of a serrated blade which perforates the paper at a given length after the switching mechanism is activated and a given length of paper is fed by paper feed means. The perforated paper is pressed across the knife by tensioning the paper web so that the paper separates clearly along the perforation line.

1 1 May 6,1975

[ BOTTOM-WRAP APPARATUS George T. Rushforth, Costa Mesa, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Sun Chemical Corporation, New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Sept. 4, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 394,143

[75} Inventor:

[52] US. Cl 53/74; 53/389 [51] Int. Cl B651) 57/12; 1365b 41/16 [58] Field of Search 53/64, 74, 389

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,636,654 4/1953 Sykes 53/74 X 2,803,930 8/1957 Schmidt.... 53/74 2,816,408 12/1957 Powers 53/389 X 2,879,636 3/1959 Zuercher 53/64 X 2,964,895 [2/1960 Powers 4 53/74 X 3,001,352 9/1961 Harrison 53/389 3,250,054 5/1966 Hurlbut et a1. 53/389 X 3,486,293 12/1969 Van De Bilt 53/74 X Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cynthia Berlow [57] ABSTRACT A bottom sheet is applied to the bottom of a stack of signatures before the signatures are tied into a bundle. The sheet cut to length from a roll and the precut sheet is presented at an upper conveyor surface over which the bundles are conveyed. As the bundle passes over the partly presented, precut bottom wrap sheet, it picks up the sheet and withdraws the sheet from its paper guide chute. The bundle and its bottom wrap are then conveyed to a suitable tying or baling mechanism. A switching mechanism is activated by the bundle before it reaches the paper guide chute area to cause the cutting of a new length of bottom wrap and the presentation of the new length of bottom wrap above the surface of the conveyor table to await the presence the bundle. The cutting mechanism consists of a serrated blade which perforates the paper at a given length after the switching mechanism is acti' vated and a given length of paper is fed by paper feed means. The perforated paper is pressed across the knife by tensioning the paper web so that the paper separates clearly along the perforation line.

9 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures HTENTEMAY szsrs SHEET 3 CF 8 min Hil

N s; m s 5175 SHEET 5 EF 8 til MAY 6 ms SHEET 6 BF 8 M o o w ii fl \\m m NY M U I H J \\N N\ o Q m w g w g 1111 i0. Q I N Wm BOTTOM-WRAP APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to bottom wrap apparatus, and more specifically relates to a novel bottom wrap applying mechanism which is operable at high speed, and can be used in connection with high speed tying machines which tie newspaper bundles and the like after the application of a bottom wrap to a bundle.

Bottom wrap apparatus is in common use, for example, in newspaper mail rooms for applying a protective paper sheet to the bottom of a bundle of newspapers before they are moved to a suitable bundle tying mechanism. Presently used bottom wrap machines are limited in speed, however, because of inherent limitations on the speed at which paper can be intermittently withdrawn from a paper supply roll and cut to length while being applied to the bottom of bundles.

Apparatus used in the prior art frequently were unable to use all of the paper of the paper supply roll, and the last few inches of the roll diameter had to be discarded. The devices also used a relatively complex paper cutoff mechanism which was difficult to service and which needed a relatively sharp knife which had to cut a moving web.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a novel bottom wrap apparatus which is capable of applying a bottom wrap to bundles moving at a rate in excess of 40 bundles per minute. The novel apparatus provides a conveyor for conveying bundles past a bottom wrap application position, where the presence of a bundle on the conveyor initiates a feed-and-cut cycle for the bottom wrap sheet to be applied to the bundle.

The novel apparatus of the invention uses a constant tension on the paper web, and allows use of all paper on a supply roll. Moreover, the cutoff operation is a positive cutoff in which a serrated knife is used to form perforations in a measured stationary web region with actual cutoff occurring by forcing the web over the perforating knife so that the web cuts along the perforations.

The paper feed and cutoff mechanism is made of a single subassembly which is easily bolted into the body of the bottom wrap apparatus as a unit. Moreover, the conveyor system is arranged to allow easy access into the cutoff assembly and drive mechanism to allow easy servicing and maintenance. The apparatus further provides simple adjustments which allow and sheet length to be accommodated so that either a standard or threefourth bundle wrap can be provided. The entire unit is so dimensioned that it can be used in any existing newspaper bundle distribution system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of an assembled bottom wrap applying device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the frame weldment for the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of FIG. 2 when seen from the right-hand side of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of FIG. 2 as seen from the left-hand side of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a top elevational view of the paper roll weldment assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of FIG. 6 partly in section.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view similar to the view of FIG. 2 and shows the motor drive mechanism used for the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is an end view of FIG. 8 and is similar to the view of FIG. 3 except that the belt drive mechanism is shown in place.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the left-hand portion of FIG. 8 and is a view similar to the view of FIG. 4 except that the conveyor belt drives are illustrated.

FIG. 1] is a schematic elevational view of the assembly of the invention and illustrates the paper cutoff assembly and the path taken through the apparatus by the bottom wrap paper.

FIG. 12 is an end elevational view partially in section of the paper cutoff assembly.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of one of the side mounting plates used in the paper cutoff assembly of FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIG. 14 shows the side plate assembly including the side plate of FIG. 13 along with the knife cutoff cylin der and the clamping cylinders.

FIG. 15 is a top view of portions of FIG. 14 to illustrate the manner in which the two side plates are latched together in their normal operating position.

FIG. 16 is a view of FIG. 14 when taken from the lefthand side thereof.

FIG. 17 is a view of FIG. 16 taken across the section line 17-17 in FIG. 16 and specifically illustrates the knife arrangement of FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bottom wrap applying machine of the present invention. The frame members which supply the assembly, shown in FIG. I, are described later in connection with the description of FIGS. 2 to 5, where it is seen that a welded steel frame member is provided for the support of the apparatus. The steel frame support carries a paper roll 10, which is generally supported from a channel support member 11, which will be later described, and is rotatably carried on a support shaft and is clamped on the shaft by the clamping arrangement 12, which will also be later described.

A paper web 13, extending from roll 10. then moves under an angularly movable dancer roller 14 and under a drive roller 15 which drives the paper through the paper handling and cutting mechanism which will be later described. This entire mechanism is under the control of an electrical and pneumatic control system contained in the control box 16 of FIG. 1.

The top surface of the bottom wrap applying apparatus consists of flat, table-like top 17 which contains four conveyor belts. Two conveyor belts l8 and 19 are at the output side of the bundle wrap applying machine, and receive signature bundles such as newspapers, schematically illustrated in dotted lines as the bundle 20, which move from left to right in FIG. I and in the direction of arrow 21 after a bottom wrap has been applied. The conveyor belts 18 and 19 terminate adjacent to the slot 22, which is the location at which a precutto-lengh sheet of bottom wrap, which has been cut from the web 13, is presented. Only a short length of the paper is presented at slot 22. For example, a length of about 3 inches is presented above top 17 and the precut length awaits the passage of a single bundle.

Input conveyor belts 24 and 25 lead to slot 22 and are driven at the same speed as belts l8 and I9 and serve to move the bundle 20 over slot 22 to pass over and pick up the partly presented bottom wrap sheet 23. The bundle 20 will then press the sheet 23 down against conveyor belts l8 and 19 so that the sheet 23 will move along with the bundle 20 and will be held against its bottom. Belts l8 and 19 then move the bundle and its bottom wrap into a suitable tying machine, where the bundle can be tied or wrapped.

The movement of the bundle 20 toward slot 22 causes the depression of a pivotally mounted switch actuating member 26. The depression of the switch actuating member 26 causes the appropriate cycling of the control mechanism 16 such that a new bottom wrap length will be cut and presented at slot 22 before the bundle 20 passes the slot 22. A second pivotally mounted switch actuating member 26a also is in the bundle path and is disposed between belts I8 and I9 and extends above the top of surface I7. The second limit switch 26a is connected to the control mechanism 16 and, when activated by a bundle, it causes the knife cutting mechanism and paper feed mechanism to reset from their operative position.

The frame weldment for the assembly of FIG. I is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5. The frame of FIGS. 2 through generally consists of four upstanding square channel members or legs 50, 51, 52 and 53. The legs 52 and 53 are braced by a cross-brace 55 (FIG. 3] and the legs 50 and 51 are braced by a cross-brace channel 56. Angularly rising braces 57 and 58 (FIGS. 2 and 4) are joined at their bottoms to the bottom of legs 52 and 53 by short channel sections 59 (FIG. 1) and 60 (FIG. 2). The top of legs 50 to 53 are joined by channels 61 and 62 which extend between legs 5053 and 51-52, respectively, and channels 63 and 64 which extend between legs 52-53 and 50-51, respectively.

A further cross-brace, best shown in FIG. 2 as crossbrace 65, extends between members 53 and 57 and a similar cross-brace extends between leg 52 and member 58. An upper bracing channel 66, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, is also provided and extends between members 61 and 62 and the angle members 57 and 58.

Protective steel channels are later added to the structural brace members described above in connection with FIGS. 2 to 4 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Note that other braces can be provided as desired for mechanical strength and for the support of various components which are to be assembled within the frame.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the support for the roll of paper of FIG. I which is mounted on the channel support member 11. More specifically, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the support shaft 70 which is adapted to receive the paper roll I0 and the clamping structure 12 which clamps the paper roll between the locking collars 71 and 72. The locking cap assembly 12 consists of a suitable spacer 73 with a suitable square head cap screw 74 which is threaded on the end of the shaft 70 to apply clamping pressure to the locking collar 72. A crank arm 75, shown in FIG. 1, may also be provided to allow easy operation of the locking cap assembly.

The upper end of shaft 70 in FIG. 6 is then pivotally mounted in suitable pivotal supports 80 and 81 which can be conventional pillow block bearings which are appropriately bolted to channel 11 and to a supplemental channel support 110, which may also be bolted to the frame of FIGS. 2 to 5.

A disk brake member 83 is secured to shaft and rotates with shaft 70 and is disposed within a suitable U-shaped braking member 84 which is operable to applying braking pressure to disk 83 in order to stop rotation of shaft 70. The operation of brake 84 is controlled by the amount of web material which is stored in the dancer formed by dancer roller 14 of FIGS. 1, 6 and 7. More specifically, FIGS. 6 and 7 further show a bearing member which receives shaft 91 of dancer support arm 92 which has the shaft 93 fixed to the outer end thereof. The shaft 93 forms a portion of dancer member 14 and receives a tube roller 94 over which the web can roll without friction. Note that the tube 94 will be longer than the full width of the web I3 of FIG. I, and is coextensive with the shaft 70.

In order to coordinate the operation of brake 84 with the amount of web stored in the dancer assembly, a switching device, such as an air limit switch 96, is secured to channel Ila and has a rotatable operating arm 97 extending therefrom which is pressed into contact with the surface 98 of rotatable lever 92. Thus, the switch of member 96 will be operated when the dancer is fully loaded since arm 92 is then rotated fully clockwise and to a generally perpendicular position in FIG. 7. The operation of switch 96 then applies brake 84 to prevent further rotation of shaft 70 and of the paper roll 10, thereby preventing the unnecessary unrolling of the paper roll.

The manner in which the conveyor belts I8, 19, 24 and 25 are driven is best understood from FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. Referring to FIGS. 8, 9 and I0, and first specifically to FIG. 9, a drive motor is shown as mounted from a welded bracket III (also shown in FIG. 3) which is secured between an angle II2 and support leg 52. The angle 112 is, in turn, supported between angle 55 and the upper angle 64.

The motor 110 then has an output shaft I20 which drives a chain drive sprocket 121, as shown in FIG. 9. A suitable bicycle type chain or the like 122, schematically shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 9, then drives a sprocket 123 which is connected to rotatably mounted shaft 124 (FIGS. 8 and 9) which is rotatably mounted between angle I12 and support leg 53 by suitable bearings.

The rotatable shaft I24 is connected to a suitable clutch/disk brake device 125 (FIG. 9) which controls the transmission of mechanical force from the shaft 124 to the drive sprocket I26. A braking disk 128, shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, also cooperates with a brake unit 129 which allows the application of braking force to the disk 128 and thus to the sprocket 126, as required by the electrical control circuitry. An antirotation bracket I3I is appropriately secured to the housing of the clutch/disk brake combination 125 to prevent its rotation and to secure it in place.

A single elongated chain is then provided for driving the various conveyor belts I8, 19, 24 and 25 of FIG. I from the drive sprocket 127, schematically shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 8 as the single drive chain 130. Thus, in FIG. 8 the chain 130 extends from the drive sprocket I27 around the sprocket 131 (which will be later seen to drive parts of the paper drive and cutoff mechanism), idler sprocket 132, a drive sprocket 133, which will be later seen to cause the drive of conveyor belts l8 and 19, a drive sprocket 134, which causes the drive of conveyor belts 24 and 25, an idler sprocket 135, a spring-loaded idler 136 and back to the drive idler 127. It will be noted that the sprocket 131 is rotatably mounted on a suitable support plate 140 which is secured to support angle 57. Plate 140 will be later seen to be a part of the support for the paper cutoff and knife assembly.

The idlers 132 and 135 of FIG. 8 are adjustably supported from support angle 14] so that tension on the chain 130 can be appropriately adjusted. The springloaded chain idler 136 is carried on a pivotally mounted rod 143 and a spring 144 is suitably arranged to bias idler 136 to the left in Hg. 8, thereby exerting a given biasing force on the chain 130 to ensure against slack in the chain.

A drive sprocket 150 is also rotatably mounted from the plate 140 and receives a drive chain 151 from the drive sprocket 126. The sprocket 150 and the sprocket 152 which also receives chain 151 will be described hereinafter in connection with the paper transport and cutting mechanism. Note that sprocket 152 is mounted in angle suppor 153, as shown in FIG. 8, and is vertically adjustable to adjust the tension in the chain 151.

As previously pointed out, sprockets 133 and 134 are drive sprockets which cause the driving of the conveyor belts 18, 19, 25 and 26 of FIG. 1. FIGS. 8 and illustrate the drive system which is used in connection with the driving of the belts 18 and 19. Thus, the conveyor belts l8 and 19 of FIG. 1 wind around the belt drive pulleys 160161 and 162-163, respectively, in FIG. 10. Note that the belt 18 is specifically shown in FIG. 8 as circling around the drive pulleys 160 and 161. Note further that an upper plate covers the upper surface 17 of the out-feed section but is provided with apertures 165, 166, 167 and 168 through which the belts can pass to overlie the surface of the table top 17.

The drive pulleys 160 and 162 are mounted on driven shaft 170 which receives the drive sprocket 133 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. Note that the shaft 133 is suitably mounted for rotation from the apparatus frame in any desired manner and, in particular. may be mounted on bearings which are supported on the angle member 66. The drive pulleys 161 and 163 are similarly mounted on a common shaft 171 which may be suitably laterally adjustable at its either end as by the adjustment mechanism 172 schematically shown in FIG. 8.

Thus, it is clear that the drive motor 110 of FIG. 9 drives the shaft 124 of FIGS. 8 and 9 in order to drive the sprocket 127 through the brake/clutch mechanism 125. The drive sprocket 127, in turn, drives sprocket 133 to cause the conveyor belts 18 and 19 to move to the left in FIG. 8, due to rotation of shaft 170 in a coun terclockwise direction in FIG. 8, thereby moving bundles reaching the belts 18 and 19 to the left and into other apparatus in the mail room, such as bundle tying equipment.

The input belts 24 and 25 of FIG. 1 are driven in a similar manner to the drive of belts 24 and 25, except. however, the belts 24 and 25 and their drive pulleys are carried within a pivotally mounted lid 180 which is pivotally mounted about the axis of the shaft 181 of drive sprocket 134.

It is not necessary for the understanding of the pres ent invention to show the detailed structure of the two pairs of drive pulleys which are rotatably mounted at either end of the openable lid section 180 in order that the infeed belts 24 and 25 can be suitably disposed to receive bundles when the lid is closed, as shown in FIG. 1. It should, however. be noted that these pulleys will be driven from the shaft 181 which is concentric with drive sprocket 134 and which rotates with the drive sprocket 134.

Note that when the lid 180 is closed, that its upper surface will be flush with and will constitute a part of the upper table surface 17 of the apparatus. It should be further noted that the lid 180 carries a flat plate 185 which extends downwardly from its outer edge. As will be later understood, the plate 185 serves the function of a paper guide to guide paper up through the top of the machine after it has been cut. This paper guiding function will be described more fully hereinafter. A similar flat plate, shown in FIG. 8 as the plate 186, extends from paper guide weldment 187, whereby plates 185 and 186 are disposed parallel to one another and are spaced from one another to define a guide channel through which the paper can pass. Guide slate 186 is also partly illustrated in FIG. 10 which shows the guide surface as extending across almost the full width of the table top.

The paper drive and cutoff assembly of the present invention is a totally subassembled unit which can be carried in its own frame and mounted separately on the apparatus of FIG. 1. The paper cutoff assembly is schematically illustrated in FIG. 11 and is shown in more detail in FIGS. 12 to 17. It should be noted that in FIG. 11 the apparatus is a left-hand installation whereas in FIG. 1 it is shown as a right-hand installation. The assembly of FIG. 8 could be made for either a right-hand or a left-hand installation.

The paper cutoff assembly includes spaced pairs of mounting plates, such as mounting plates 200 and of FIG. 11 (see FIG. 8 as well for plate 140) which are disposed at opposite sides of the apparatus and support between them a pair of lower drive roller assemblies 202 and 203 and a pair of upper paper drive roller assemblies 204 and 205, respectively. As will be seen later, these drive assemblies are driven from sprockets 131 and of FIG. 8.

The web 13 is shown in FIG. 11 as passing under dancer 14, over a rod 206, around the drive roller 202 (equivalent to roller 15 of FIG. 1) and through rollers 204 and 205. The web ultimately exits at the top surface 17 of the apparatus. The roller 203 is an idler type roller which is normally pressed against the driver 200 by a suitable clamping cylinder 210. Similarly, roller 205 is an idler roller which presses against drive roller 204.

The details of the paper cutoff assembly may now be considered with reference to FIGS. 12 to 17. The paper cutoff assembly is carried in part between pairs of side support plates, such as plate 200 and a similar plate 200a (FIG. 12) where the plates 200 and 200a carry upper and lower mounting angle assemblies 220 and 221, as best shown in FIGS. 8, 12 and 13.

Each of plates 200 and 200a are further aligned with generally triangular shaped plates, such as plates 140 and 140a (FIGS. 8, ll, 14 and 16) where the plates 140 and 140a are pivotally mounted to the plates 200 and 2000. More specifically, and as best shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, plate 200 (as well as plate 200a) contain spacer shaft 230 and pivot shaft 231 where the shaft 231 is carried in a suitable bronze bearing. The shaft 231 is then secured to pivotal mounting straps on plates 140 and 140a, such as the strap 232, shown in FIG. 14 for the left-hand end of shaft 231, as viewed from the direction of FIG. 12, where the strap 232 is suitably welded to plate 140. The plate 140a is similarly pivotally mounted to plate 200a. The pivotal mounting of plates 140 and 140a on the shaft 231 permits the plates 140 and 140a to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14 along with the various components which they support to allow access to the interior mechanism for maintenance and repair.

The plates 140 and 200 and 140a and 200a are nor mally secured to one another at their top by a clamping arrangement which consists of a knob assembly 240 associated, for example, with plate 140 and a similar knob assembly, associated with plate 140a. The knob assembly 240, as shown in FIG. 15, is threadably mounted in a threaded opening in flange 241 where flange 241 is welded to a plate 242 which is appropriately secured to plate 140. Spacer shaft 244 is a square shaft (FIGS. 14, 15 and 17) and is secured to plate 140 as by bolt 245 and is similarly secured to the opposite plate 140a and is disposed beneath member 242. The right-hand end of member 242, as best shown in FIG. 15, then has welded thereto a collar member 246 and similarly the equivalent of plate member 242 fastened to plate 140a will have a collar to mount the shaft 246a (see FIG. 11) where shaft 2460 is shown particularly in FIGS. 12, 13, 14 and 15. Shaft 246a acts as a spreader between members 200 and 200a and rotatably supports member 246.

The pivotal mounting arrangement is such that when the plates 140 and 140a are in their closed condition, shown in FIG. 14, the knob assemblies 240 have their threaded shafts 250 clamping against openings in the shaft 244, as shown in FIG. 15. In order to rotate plates 140 and 140a to an open position relative to plate 200, the knob assemblies 240 are rotated. At this point, the knob assemblies 240 can be held away from shaft 244 by small spring plunger arrangements, such as the spring plunger 251 of FIGS. 14 and 15. By applying suitable pressure to the knob assemblies, the spring plungers can be forced outwardly so that the plate 140, plate 140a and the members they support, such as member 242 and shaft 206, can rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 14 about the axis of shaft 231 so that maintenance can be performed on the mechanism.

The plate 200 and its counterpart plate 200a also support the lower drive roller 202 as best shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, where FIG. 12 illustrates the bearing support 260 secured to plate 200a to support the righthand end of roller 202. Plates 200 and 200a also secure between them a spacer bar 261, as shown in FIG. 12, and the upper roller assembly 205 which, in fact, consists of spaced roller members 205a, 20511 and the like mounted on shaft 2050, as shown in FIG. 12, which is mounted on bearings such as bearing 265 in plate 200a and a similar bearing 2650 in plate 200 (FIG. 13). It should be noted that shaft 2056 has an extension 266 (FIG. 12) which is connected to the drive sprocket 131 in FIG. 8. In a similar manner, roller 202 of FIG. 12 is carried on shaft 267 which has an extension 268 shown in FIG. 8 as connected to the drive sprocket 150.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show an elongated pivotally mounted safety door 270 mounted on a safety door weldment 271 by means of the hinge 272, where the weldment 271 of FIGS. 12 and 13 is suitably secured to frames 200 and 200a. The safety door 270 will generally limit access to the drive roller 202. The safety door 270 is further normally latched in an upward position as show in FIG. 13 by suitable latches, such as the pivotally mounted latch member 273 which is pivotally mounted on side frame member 270 as shown in FIG. 13 and engages the notch 274 in the end of safety door 270. A protective sheet 280 is also shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 which is disposed to prevent access to the upper roller 205.

Side plates and 140a also mount the clamping roller 203 and idler roller 204 which cooperate with drive rollers 202 and 205. More specifically, and as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, shaft 231 is mounted be tween plates 140 and 140a and rotatably receives a plurality of crank arm members including crank arms 291, 292 and 293, shown in FIG. 16. The various crank arms or mounting bars are suitably separated from one another by spacer bushings, such as the spacer bushings 295, 296 and 297.

Crank arm 291 and a similar crank arm on the lefthand end of the assembly as seen in FIG. 16 pivotally supports shaft 300 which rotatably mounts the various clamp roller members 203a, 203b and 203C and the like which constitute the roller assembly generally shown as roller assembly 203 in FIG. 14.

A clamping cylinder 305, which is a pneumatically operated cylinder, is then pivotally mounted on lever 306 which extends from shaft 290, as shown in FIG. 14 (not seen in FIG. 16) and the output piston shaft 307 of cylinder 305 is appropriately coupled to crank arm 291, so as to normally press rollers 2030, 203b and 203C and the like into engagement with the drive roller 202. Once this cylinder 305 is actuated, it remains actuated to maintain roller 203 in constant pressure against the web 13 and roller 202. Note that plates 140 and 140a are rotated counterclockwise about the shaft 231, so that the clamp roller assembly 203 is removed from its position against the web 13 to expose the web 13 and the drive roller 202.

The crank arm 293 of FIG. 16 is shown as pivotally mounting shaft 310, where the shaft 310 rotatably mounts roller assembly 204 of FIG. 14. Roller assembly 204 is shown in FIG. 16 as consisting of spaced roller segments 204a, 204b and 204C and the like. Note that the rotation of plates 140 and 140a will also rotate roller 204 away from roller 205. Roller 204 serves as the pressure roller for applying pressure to the web 13 against the drive roller 205. As will be later seen, roller 204 is pressed against the web and against roller 205 when it is desired to draw a given length of web 13 out of the dancer assembly.

A paper guide plate 320, shown in FIG. 14, extends fully between the plates 140 and 140a and joins with plate 186 of FIG. 8, which extends to the upper surface 17 of the bottom wrap apparatus. The web 13 travels in a slot defined between the spacer plate 320 of FIG. 14 and a similar spacer plate which are carried by side plates 200 and 200a shown in FIG. 13 as the paper guide plate 321. Note further that when the plates 140 and 140a are rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 14 that the slot between plates 320 and 321 is opened so that paper jams and the like can be corrected.

The paper cutoff assembly of FIGS. 12 to 17 further contains the cutoff knife, with the knife mechanism being schematically shown in FIGS. 11 and 14 and shown in detail in FIGS. 16 and 17. In FIG. 11 the cutoff knife is schematically illustrated by dotted lines 330, and is controlled by a knife operating cylinder 331. The knife mechanism operates such that a perforated line is formed in the width of web 13 in response to the joint operation of the knife cylinder 331 and the drawing of the paper across the knife by upper driving rolls 204 and 205. This operation is initiated by the movement of a bundle over the switch member 26 in FIG. 11 and forms a separated sheet of bottom wrap which projects above the surface 17. As the bundle then moves over the projecting top end of the paper, the bottom wrap paper will move with the bundle.

The actual position of the cutting knife is shown in FIG. 14 by the arrow 332. The actual knife construction is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and consists of a serrated, elongated blade 340 which is clamped on a knife mounting bar 341 by a clamping plate 342. The mounting bar 341 is then carried on crank arm 292 and on a equivalent crank arm (not shown) at the left-hand side of shaft 231. A spring retaining bracket 343 is then secured to plate 140 as shown in FIG. 17 and receives one end of an extensible tension spring 344 which has its opposite end secured to screw 345 which is connected to arm 292. Thus the knife 340 is normally biased to the web perforating position shown in FIG. 17.

The knife 340 and mounting bar 341 are then moved between cutting and non-cutting positions by the knife cylinder 331 shown in FIG. 14. Cylinder 331 has an output shaft 350 having a pivotal member 351 connected to the outer end thereof, and which is received by shaft receiving member 352 of FIG. 16 which is connected to the knife mounting bar 341. Knife cylinder 331 is, in turn, mounted on bar 360 which is mounted on shaft 290. Thus, by appropriate actuation of knife cylinder 331, the knife 340 of FIG. 17 is driven toward perforating engagement with the material of web 13. The web 13 is stretched between the lower roller pair 202-203 and the upper roller pair 204-205 by operation of the upper roller pair to draw the web across the knife 340 to ensure perforation of the paper and tearing of a given length of paper along the perforations, and the transport of the severed sheet to above surface 17.

It should be noted that the various movable elements of the apparatus contain switch actuator members for actuating control switches which control the sequence of operation. Thus, the bar 341 of FIG. 16 contains a switch actuator pad 370 which actuates a suitable microswitch upon the actuation of the knife blade.

In order to thread the paper into the paper cutoff as sembly, the leading edge of the paper is first properly prepared, for example, as by feeding the paper straight across its width and the web is then fed from the top of the paper roll of FIGS. 1 and 11 around the dancer roll 14 of FIGS. 1 and 11 and then up and around the top idler roller 206 of FIG. 8, and down through the rubber feed roller 202. At this point sufficient slack should be provided in the web so that about 8 inches of paper can be fed through the feed roller 202. At this point a paper clamping valve is operated which operates clamping cylinder 305 to remove the clamping roller 203 of FIG. 14 from pressure engagement with the feed roller 202. The slack length of paper about 8 inches long is then fed past feed roller 202 and, while holding the paper square, the roller clamping valve is closed so that the clamping cylinder 305 causes roller 203 of FIG. 14 to clamp against the web 13 and roller 202. Even tension is then adjusted across the full length of the web and the drive mechanism is then jogged until the leading edge of the paper passes through the narrow chute defined between paper guide plates 320 and 321 of FIGS. 13 and 14 and until the leading edge of the paper appears at the top surface 17 of the ma chine.

The lower set of feed rollers 202 and 203 may then be appropriately driven through the clutch/brake combination 125 from the main motor (FIG. 10) while the cutoff knife 340 and cutoff cylinders including cylinder 331 are suitably activated from a main cutoff cylinder. That is to say, the roller 204 is normally out of engagement with its cooperating roller 205 and is pressed into engagement with roller 205 by an appropriate linkage (not shown) from knife cylinder 331 to the crank arm 293 (not shown).

The sequence of operation for the paper feed and cutoff mechanism is as follows:

When the feed and cutoff mechanism is at rest, the paper web 13 is prefed to a position that allows the proper length of bottom wrap to be presented for the next bundle which comes across the surface 17 of the apparatus. The feed and cutoff cycle is initiated by the activation of the in-feed switch 26 so that as a bundle comes across switch 26, the cutoff air cylinder 331 is activated to cause the cutoff roller 204 to make contact with constantly driven rubber roller 205. This cause the web 13 to be taut between rollers 204 and 205. At the same time, the paper web 13 is pulled across the knife 340 to perforate the web and to tear it along the perforations. The cut sheet is then fed between the plates 320 and 321 to a distance of about 3 inches above the surface 17 and is held in that position until the bundle picks up the paper. The second limit switch 260 is next activated by the bundle, causing the knife cylinder 331 to retract the knife 340 to a rest position and to retract roller 204 from roller 205. When the knife 340 and its mounting bar 341 retract, the pad 370 of FIG. 16 activates a limit switch (not shown) which then activates the brake/clutch combination to cause drive roller 202 to drive a new length of paper past the open rollers 204 and 205 and into the guide chute for a specified time interval. After this time interval, which is related to a given length of web, runs out, the brake/clutch drive disengages and drive roller 202 comes to a stop to await the next feed and cutoff cycle which is activated by the depression of switch 26 by the next bundle to come down the line.

Although this invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments. it should be understood that many variations and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art and, therefore, the scope of this invention is limited, not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Bottom wrap applying apparatus comprising, in combination:

frame support means,

a rotatable paper roll support shaft supported by said frame support means,

a web storage means for storing up to a given length of web as it unrolls from the paper roll supported by said support shaft,

a first pair of paper drive rolls for receiving said web from said web storage means and for moving said web out of said web storage means and supported relative to said frame support means, first roll drive means connected with said first drive rolls for rotating them;

a second pair of paper drive rolls disposed parallel to and spaced from said first pair of paper drive rolls for moving said web away from said first pair of paper drive rolls and supported relative to said frame support means, second roll drive means connected with said second drive rolls for rotating them;

an elongaged cut-off knife means supported relative to said frame support means disposed between said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls for cutting said web,

means connected to said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls for simultaneously engaging said web between both said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls, said second roll drive means rotating said second pair of rolls while said first roll drive means resists rotation of said first pair of rolls and this while said elongated cut-off knife means is operated to cut said web,

a top support surface on said frame support means,

conveyor systme means disposed on said top support surface for conveying signature bundles over said top surface,

a bottom wrap presentation slot extending across said top surface, and

paper guide channel means for guiding lengths of said web precut to a given length by said knife extending from said second pair of rolls to said presenta tion slot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes a single motor drive means supported by said frame support means and drive transmission means for connect ing said single motor drive to said conveyor system, and said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated cut-off knife contains a serrated cutting edge for forming perforations in said web, an operating mechanism for operating said knife means into said web and for causing said first drive means to resist rotation of said first pair of paper drive rolls to tension the web supported between said spaced first and second pairs of drive rolls and to cause said web to be strained across said knife, thereby to be perforated and severed, said second drive means causing said second drive rolls to drive said severed web until it reaches said slot,

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said web storage means comprises a dancer assembly, and which further includes a brake means coupled between said dancer assembly and said paper roll support shaft for braking the rotation of said support shaft while said dancer stores a given amount of web.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor system means includes first and second pairs of con vcyor belts extending on respective opposite sides of said slot for conveying bundles across said slot from an infeed section to an outfeed section.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes a supplemental support frame receiving and mounting said first and second pairs of drive rolls and said elongated cut-off knife, said supplemental support frame being removably connected to said frame sup port means.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 which includes switch means for controlling the operation of said second drive means for said second pair of paper drive rolls and said cut-off knife; said switch means being disposed above the surface of said top support system and being disposed to be activated by a bundle before said bundle reaches said slot, whereby a precut-to-length bottom wrap sheet will be presented at said slot in advance of said bundle reaching said slot.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said elongated cut-off knife contains a serrated cutting edge for forming perforations in said web, an operating mechanism for operating said knife means into said web and for causing said first drive means to resist rotation of said first pair of paper drive rolls to tension the web supported between said spaced first and second pairs of drive rolls and to cause said web to be strained across said knife, thereby to be perforatd and severed, said second drive means causing said second drive rolls to drive said severed web until it reaches said slot.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least one portion of said top support surface and said first pair of conveyor belts are rotatably mounted on said frame support means, whereby said at least one portion can be rotated to expose the mechanism in the interior of said frame support means. 

1. Bottom wrap applying apparatus comprising, in combination: frame support means, a rotatable paper roll support shaft supported by said frame support mEans, a web storage means for storing up to a given length of web as it unrolls from the paper roll supported by said support shaft, a first pair of paper drive rolls for receiving said web from said web storage means and for moving said web out of said web storage means and supported relative to said frame support means, first roll drive means connected with said first drive rolls for rotating them; a second pair of paper drive rolls disposed parallel to and spaced from said first pair of paper drive rolls for moving said web away from said first pair of paper drive rolls and supported relative to said frame support means, second roll drive means connected with said second drive rolls for rotating them; an elongaged cut-off knife means supported relative to said frame support means disposed between said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls for cutting said web, means connected to said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls for simultaneously engaging said web between both said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls, said second roll drive means rotating said second pair of rolls while said first roll drive means resists rotation of said first pair of rolls and this while said elongated cut-off knife means is operated to cut said web, a top support surface on said frame support means, conveyor systme means disposed on said top support surface for conveying signature bundles over said top surface, a bottom wrap presentation slot extending across said top surface, and paper guide channel means for guiding lengths of said web precut to a given length by said knife extending from said second pair of rolls to said presentation slot.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes a single motor drive means supported by said frame support means and drive transmission means for connecting said single motor drive to said conveyor system, and said first and second pairs of paper drive rolls.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated cut-off knife contains a serrated cutting edge for forming perforations in said web, an operating mechanism for operating said knife means into said web and for causing said first drive means to resist rotation of said first pair of paper drive rolls to tension the web supported between said spaced first and second pairs of drive rolls and to cause said web to be strained across said knife, thereby to be perforated and severed, said second drive means causing said second drive rolls to drive said severed web until it reaches said slot.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said web storage means comprises a dancer assembly, and which further includes a brake means coupled between said dancer assembly and said paper roll support shaft for braking the rotation of said support shaft while said dancer stores a given amount of web.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor system means includes first and second pairs of conveyor belts extending on respective opposite sides of said slot for conveying bundles across said slot from an infeed section to an outfeed section.
 6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes a supplemental support frame receiving and mounting said first and second pairs of drive rolls and said elongated cut-off knife, said supplemental support frame being removably connected to said frame support means.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 which includes switch means for controlling the operation of said second drive means for said second pair of paper drive rolls and said cut-off knife; said switch means being disposed above the surface of said top support system and being disposed to be activated by a bundle before said bundle reaches said slot, whereby a precut-to-length bottom wrap sheet will be presented at said slot in advance of said bundle reaching said slot.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said elongated cut-off knife contains a serrated cutting edge for forming perforations in said web, an operating mechanism for opeRating said knife means into said web and for causing said first drive means to resist rotation of said first pair of paper drive rolls to tension the web supported between said spaced first and second pairs of drive rolls and to cause said web to be strained across said knife, thereby to be perforatd and severed, said second drive means causing said second drive rolls to drive said severed web until it reaches said slot.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least one portion of said top support surface and said first pair of conveyor belts are rotatably mounted on said frame support means, whereby said at least one portion can be rotated to expose the mechanism in the interior of said frame support means. 